---
title: "Ballarat vs New Plymouth for digital nomads"
url: https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/ballarat-vs-new-plymouth
description: "Under balanced weights Ballarat edges it, 63 to 62, winning 4 of the 9 factors. Ballarat is stronger on getting there & around; New Plymouth on nothing outright. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you."
dataset: 2026.11.2 (2026-11-09)
license: CC BY 4.0
---

# Ballarat vs New Plymouth for digital nomads

Under balanced weights Ballarat edges it, 63 to 62, winning 4 of the 9 factors. Ballarat is stronger on getting there & around; New Plymouth on nothing outright. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.

## Where they differ

- **Getting there & around.** Ballarat leads on getting there & around, 26 to 15, against New Plymouth. Non-stop airport destinations: 73 vs 3.
- **Cost of living.** New Plymouth leads on cost of living, 22 to 15, against Ballarat. Monthly cost, one person: $3,350 vs $2,950.

Where they are close: within five points on healthcare, internet, quality of life, safety, air quality, visa ease, climate.

**Pick Ballarat if you want** more flights and easier getting around.

**Pick New Plymouth if you want** to spend about $400 less a month.

## Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)

| Metric | Ballarat | New Plymouth | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Cost of living | 15 | 22 | New Plymouth |
| Safety | 82 | 84 | New Plymouth |
| Healthcare | 92 | 89 | Ballarat |
| Internet | 78 | 81 | New Plymouth |
| Visa ease | 42 | 42 | tie |
| Getting there & around | 26 | 15 | Ballarat |
| Climate | 33 | 33 | tie |
| Air quality | 98 | 97 | Ballarat |
| Quality of life | 98 | 96 | Ballarat |

## Cost

| Metric | Ballarat | New Plymouth | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly cost, one person | $3,350 | $2,950 | New Plymouth |
| Central one-bedroom rent | no data | no data | — |

## Safety and health (country-level)

| Metric | Ballarat | New Plymouth | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Homicides per 100k | 0.94 | 1.46 | Ballarat |
| Political stability (0–100) | 79.3 | 86.3 | New Plymouth |
| UHC service coverage (0–100) | 89 | 89 | tie |
| Life expectancy | 83 yrs | 80.7 yrs | Ballarat |

## Internet (M-Lab measured medians)

| Metric | Ballarat | New Plymouth | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Download | 60.8 Mbps | 56.5 Mbps | Ballarat |
| Upload | 18.7 Mbps | 60.2 Mbps | New Plymouth |

## Visa

| Metric | Ballarat | New Plymouth | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Nomad visa | none listed | none listed | tie |
| Minimum income for the visa | no data | no data | — |
| Entry, US passport | eTA required (online, before travel) | eTA required (online, before travel) | tie |
| Entry, EU passport | eTA required (online, before travel) | eTA required (online, before travel) | tie |
| Entry, UK passport | eTA required (online, before travel) | eTA required (online, before travel) | tie |

## Getting there and around

| Metric | Ballarat | New Plymouth | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Non-stop airport destinations | 73 | 3 | Ballarat |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 3 | 3 | tie |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 2 | 2 | tie |

## Climate and air

| Metric | Ballarat | New Plymouth | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Comfortable months per year | 4 | 4 | tie |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 6 µg/m³ | 6.5 µg/m³ | Ballarat |

## FAQ

### Which is cheaper, Ballarat or New Plymouth?

New Plymouth is cheaper: about $2,950 per month versus $3,350 for one person.

### Is Ballarat or New Plymouth safer?

New Plymouth scores higher on safety (84 vs 82), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.

### Where is the internet faster, Ballarat or New Plymouth?

Ballarat: a measured median of 60.8 Mbps versus 56.5 Mbps (M-Lab, 2024).

City pages: [Ballarat](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/ballarat) · [New Plymouth](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/new-plymouth). Sources: Cost of Living Global 2026 (city rows); 2026 Cost of Living Index (country level); Digital Nomad Visas 2026; Worldwide Governance Indicators — Political Stability and Absence of Violence (score 0–100); Victims of intentional homicide per 100,000 population (national data, latest year); UHC service coverage index; Life expectancy at birth (years), both sexes; M-Lab NDT statistics (city aggregates, 2024); Airport destinations (Wikipedia airline and destination tables); NASA POWER climatology (2001–2020 monthly means); SatPM2.5 satellite-derived annual PM2.5 (V6.GL.02.04); Human Development Index (HDR 2025, HDI 2023); EF English Proficiency Index 2024 (band); Walkability and transit ratings (editorial); Passport Index dataset (visa requirements, 199 passports × 199 destinations); OpenStreetMap restaurants (Overpass API); Starlink availability map.

HTML page: https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/ballarat-vs-new-plymouth